Have you ever thought about what you put your hair through on a daily basis? Harsh sulfate shampoos, straightening irons, curling irons, hair dryers, curlers, hair spray, dry shampoos, hair gels, bobby pins, hair pins, hair bands, headbands, hair dyes, bleach, salt water, vigorous brushing…it’s a wonder we have any hair left at all! You might think you need to spend a fortune to repair your hair (most companies do their best to make you think you must buy products and gadgets to have pretty hair). But for thrifty girls, or straight up minimalists, our hair care tips can help solve your hair woes.
6 Hair Care Tips for Minimalists
Lay off the Heat
Styling tools can give us a ton of volume or make our hair all smooth and silky at a first glance, but in the long run, they just damage it. It’s absolutely fine to use these tools occasionally, but if you use them several times a week, you’re not really giving your hair a chance to rest.
Constantly applying heat to the gentle strands of your hair causes breakage and dryness. You’ll end up with a head full of limp, lifeless strands that grow slowly and that keep needing more and more styling to look good. It’s kind of a vicious circle – the more you fry your hair, the more it needs styling tools to avoid looking like a bird’s nest. If you do want to use a styling tool, apply a heat protection spray beforehand.
If you have straight hair and want to give it a bit of a bounce and volume, you don’t actually have to reach for the curling iron or curlers. Here’s the easiest way to make waves: wash your hair, leave it to dry until it’s only a little damp, and then put it in two French braids. Loosen your hair in the morning, and voila! Beachy waves.
Here’s are several more ways to curl your hair with no heat. You’ll love these easy hair care tips!
Use Natural Products
Harsh chemicals like sulfates strip your hair of oils and make it Sahara dry. What’s worse, if you have a sensitive scalp, they’ll cause a ton of nasty dandruff. Once dandruff appears, it can be frustratingly difficult to get rid of, and it will degrade your confidence each day (not to mention prevent you from wearing a black shirt ever again).
The best and easiest way to resolve the issue is to use a quality natural organic dandruff shampoo, which is gentle on your scalp and won’t dry out your beautiful strands. Organic hair care is generally a good choice because organic brands use good natural ingredients that don’t mess with your hair’s natural structure. They simply clean, nourish, and give your hair vibrancy.
Wash your Hair Less Often
No matter how gentle your shampoo, or which ingredients it contains, washing your hair every day isn’t healthy. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, frequent washing makes it greasier because it strips the scalp of natural oils. Then, your sebum glands work twice as hard to make up for it.
What you want to do here is slowly train your hair to stay clean without washing it so often. It will be a little uncomfortable in the beginning, but soon your scalp will adjust and sebum production normalizes. To make this easier on yourself, use dry shampoo in between washes to remove the greasy residue.
Make a DIY Mask
Speaking of organic care, why not take it a step further and turn to actual nature to care for your hair? This way you’ll know exactly which ingredients you’re using, and there’s no chance of any toxic chemicals damaging your strands.
Now, there are several great recipes for DIY hair masks, but here’s our absolute favorite:
- 1 ripe avocado
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp of honey
- ½ tsp of olive or macadamia oil
Peel the avocado and put it in a blender together with the rest of the ingredients. Whip the mixture together. If you want it a little less runny, add a spoonful of thick Greek yogurt. Apply this mixture to wet hair and leave it on for at least 20 minutes. (This hair care tip is budget friendly, too!)
The avocado and oil in the mask penetrate deep into the hair follicles to nourish them, while the coconut milk makes it silky soft to touch. The honey seals all the ingredients in.
Bear in mind, the mask should only be used on the strands of your hair, not the scalp, and especially not if your scalp tends to get greasy quickly. To combat excess oil production, rub a mixture of apple cider vinegar and pink clay into your roots and leave on for ten minutes before washing it off.
Use a Hot Oil Treatment Once a Month
You don’t need expensive products to keep your hair thick, strong, and glossy. To give it back some life and rejuvenate it, we recommend a hot oil treatment. Use a mixture of 100% organic coconut oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil (a tablespoon of each is enough), and heat it up in a microwave for 10-20 seconds. You want it to be warm but not hot.
Apply the oil down the length of your hair and on your scalp, and then start massaging your hair in gentle, circular moments. This will get the blood flow going while the oils work to nourish and repair damaged hair. You can wash this off after about 15 minutes of massage, or you could actually leave it overnight. Just wrap your hair with saran wrap and a towel and go to sleep. Wash your hair in the morning and enjoy the shine!
Final Thoughts on Hair Care Tips
A minimalist’s hair care routine consists of basically giving your hair a rest . Use fewer bottled products and fewer steps and let your hair breathe a little. Rely on organic hair care and natural ingredients to keep it healthy and strong. And soon, you won’t have to worry about how you style it. It will simply look good every day.
